How to build SEO into a new website from day one

SEO (search engine optimisation) means making your site easy for search engines to understand, and useful enough to be worth showing. Many of the biggest SEO decisions are made at the planning stage. They include which pages exist, what they are called and how they link together.

Fixing these later is possible, but it costs more. Changing page addresses after launch means redirects. Adding missing service pages means new design work. Getting the structure right at the start is the cheapest SEO you will ever do.

Start with your customers, not with keywords. Write down the questions people ask you, the words they use for your services and the places you serve. A customer may say "boiler repair" when you say "heating services". Google's starter guide suggests thinking about the different words people might use, although it notes Google is good at matching similar terms.

As a rule, each main service deserves its own page. A dental practice might have separate pages for check-ups, implants, Invisalign and emergency appointments. One page that lists everything makes it harder for Google, and for customers, to see what you are best at.

1. 1 List every service you want more of, in your customers' words.
2. 2 List the towns or areas you serve, if location matters to your customers.
3. 3 Note the common questions customers ask before they buy.
4. 4 Group these into a simple menu: home, services, a page for each main service, about, reviews, contact.
5. 5 Decide which questions belong on service pages and which deserve their own article.
6. 6 Give each page one clear purpose, so no two pages compete for the same search.

Google's SEO starter guide covers the basics, and most of them are simple. Each page needs a clear title and a short description. It also needs headings that make sense, descriptive web addresses and images with useful alt text.

Google also says some things matter less than people think. It does not use the meta keywords tag. Word count on its own does not affect rankings. And keyword stuffing, repeating a phrase over and over, goes against Google's spam policies.

Google says helpful, reliable, people-first content will likely affect your presence in search results more than any of its other suggestions. That means content written to help a customer, not to please a search engine.

Google gives some questions to test your pages against. Does the content offer original information? Would a visitor who arrived directly find it useful? Does it show real knowledge? Would they leave feeling they learned enough to take the next step?

Google also warns about content made mainly to attract search traffic. It flags using lots of automation or AI to produce pages on many topics with little human oversight. AI can help with drafts, but a person who knows the business should check and improve every page.

• Explain what the service involves, step by step.
• Be clear about who it is for and who it isn't for.
• Give honest guidance on price, or explain what affects it.
• Answer the questions customers really ask.
• Show who is behind the business: real names, real photos and real experience.

Google uses the mobile version of your site for indexing and ranking. This is called mobile-first indexing. Your phone version must have the same content, headings and structured data as the desktop version. Google recommends responsive design, where one site adapts to every screen, as the easiest approach.

Speed and usability matter too. Google says its ranking systems use Core Web Vitals, a set of measurements of how well a page loads and responds. But it also says chasing a perfect score may not be the best use of your time. Aim for a site that feels fast and easy on a phone.

1. 1 Use a responsive design that works on every screen size.
2. 2 Serve every page over HTTPS, with the padlock in the browser.
3. 3 Make sure important content is visible without needing a click, swipe or tap to load it.
4. 4 Avoid intrusive pop-ups that cover the content.
5. 5 Compress images so pages load quickly on mobile data.
6. 6 Check that your sitemap is created and that no important pages are blocked from search engines.

Before launch, check that the site is not set to discourage search engines. Development sites are often hidden from Google on purpose, and this setting is sometimes left on by mistake after go-live.

Structured data is extra code that describes your business in a format Google reads easily. LocalBusiness structured data can tell Google your name, address, phone number and opening hours. Google says name and address are required. It also says it can't promise that features using structured data will appear in results.

A sitemap is a file that lists the pages you want search engines to find. Google says small sites, about 500 pages or fewer, that are well linked internally may not need one. Many website platforms, such as WordPress, create one automatically. It costs little to have one, and Google says submitting it through Search Console may help new sites get discovered faster.

A redesign is the moment many businesses lose search traffic without meaning to. If old pages vanish, or their addresses change without redirects, Google and your customers hit dead ends.

Google recommends making a list of all your old addresses and deciding where each one should go. Then set up permanent server redirects, called 301 redirects, from each old page to its closest new page. Avoid sending lots of old pages to the homepage. Keep the redirects for at least a year, and ideally longer.

1. 1 Export a list of all pages on your current site, including important images and PDFs.
2. 2 Check in Search Console which pages already get search traffic.
3. 3 Map each old address to its best match on the new site.
4. 4 Set up 301 redirects and test them before launch.
5. 5 Update links in your Google Business Profile, social profiles and email signatures.
6. 6 Watch Search Console closely for the first few weeks after launch.

Google Search Console is Google's tool for website owners. It shows how Google crawls and indexes your site, which searches bring visitors, and any problems it finds. Verify your site, submit your sitemap and check that your main pages are indexed. Google suggests checking it about once a month, and it emails you about new issues.

For local businesses, your Google Business Profile matters as much as your website. Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence. Prominence includes reviews and links from other websites. Google also says you can't pay for a better local ranking. Link your profile to the right page on your new site and keep your details accurate.

Google's own guide says some changes might take effect in a few hours, and others could take several months. It suggests waiting a few weeks before judging whether a change has worked.

Be wary of anyone who promises first place on Google. Google decides what to show, and it changes over time. A well built site with helpful pages gives you a good chance, but steady work after launch matters too.

We build SEO into our websites from the planning stage, as part of the Attract step of our ACCC Framework. That covers page structure, titles and descriptions, mobile-first design, structured data, sitemaps and redirect plans for redesigns.

After launch, our SEO and Content service adds optimised pages or articles each month, along with local SEO, Google Business Profile posts, citation building, and rank tracking and reporting. To talk about your project, use the "Tell us about your project" form, or see our pricing page.